Three Arrested for Elephant Tusk Smuggling in Chhattisgarh

Elephant Tusk Smuggling Operation in Balrampur

Balrampur, August 4 - In a significant crackdown, the forest department in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district apprehended three individuals on charges of smuggling elephant tusks. This information was disclosed by officials on Tuesday.

According to the authorities, a joint team from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau's Central Region in Bhopal, the state flying squad from Raipur, and the Balrampur forest division received a tip-off regarding the illegal trade of elephant tusks on Monday.

Following the tip-off, the wildlife crime bureau and forest department raided a dharamshala in the district headquarters of Ramanujganj, leading to the arrest of three suspects. The arrested individuals include Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma (42) from Palamu district in Jharkhand, Ajay Kumar Gupta (49) from Ramanujganj, and Satyendra Kumar Rajak (50). During subsequent questioning and searches, three elephant tusks were recovered.

Officials reported that the three accused were presented in the local court, where they were remanded to jail.